This invention relates to toys and, more particularly, to toy racing sets in which vehicles are raced around closed courses, or tracks.
Many toy racing sets have been devised over the years. Some of the sets are designed for use with self-propelled vehicles, while others are used with inertia or gravity propelled vehicles. In those instances where inertia driven vehicles are employed, the racing sets generally employ spring-loaded starting mechanisms to accelerate the vehicle. One type of starting mechanism pushes the vehicle onto the track, while another type accelerates the wheels of the vehicle before it enters the track.
In addition to the starting mechanisms described above, it is desirable to provide a mechanism which can re-accelerate or boost the speed of the car while it is travelling around the track. Such boosters generally employ mechanisms which accelerate the vehicle wheels as opposed to pushing the vehicle along the track.
In general, wheel accelerating mechanisms, as contrasted to push-type staring mechanisms, require a large number of components for their construction, as well as a rotary source of mechanical energy.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a new and improved toy racing set.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a toy racing set capable of boosting the speed of a toy vehicle while it is in motion.
It is yet another object of the present invention to provide apparatus for boosting the speed of a moving toy vehicle by pushing the vehicle along its track.